Prof. William Marelich                                                                                    Office: Hershey 1207
Spring Quarter 1999, UCLA                                                                           Office Phone: 206-5233
Lecture: T/Th 2 – 3:15                                                                                    Messages: 825-1313
E-mail: marelicw@ucla.edu                                                                            Office Hours: Tuesday 3:30 - 4:30pm
Wednesday 12 - 1pm

Teaching Assistants: Kim & Minatani

This course is designed to present a basic overview of research methods in the social/behavioral sciences. Surprisingly, students already have a Anaive@ knowledge of the many methodologies that will be covered. For example, most of us have had home solicitations via phone or mail (two commonly used methods). We are also exposed to research studies in the media (newspaper, television, radio, etc.) that use a variety of methods. However, students are not typically informed of the underlying reasons and theory associated with different methodologies, and the caveats that exist behind commonly used methods.

There are three main goals of this course. The first is to provide students with a broader understanding of the research methodologies used in the social/behavioral sciences. Second, students will gain a theoretical understanding of research methods and its scientific import. Third, students will learn how to apply these methods to real-life issues.

Course Requirements:

Students are required to attend all lectures and complete the reading assignments. In addition, students must enroll and participate in a weekly discussion section. Grades are based on the midterm and final exams, discussion section attendance, and 3 small-group research assignments.

Prerequisite: Sociology 1 or concurrent enrollment.

Exams:

There will be a midterm and a final exam. Exams will be based on lecture material, assigned readings, and knowledge gleaned from the research assignments. The final exam will focus mostly on material from the second half of the quarter, although some items will be cumulative from the entire quarter.

Small-Group Research:

To enhance knowledge of research methodologies and provide applied experience, students will work in small groups (approx. 4 students) to produce 3-short research projects. Topics will be assigned by the instructor, and can include (but not limited to) out-of-class experiments, additional readings, or papers on various lecture topics. The discussion sections will partially be used to facilitate the projects.

Midterm:                                                      25%

Final:                                                             40%

Section/Small-Group Research):               30%

Section Attendance:                                   5%
                                                                    _____

                                                                    100%

Grades will be assigned based on total points from exams and section assignments. Grades will be broken down by the following percentages:

90% - 100% = A (P)

80% - 89% = B (P)

70% - 79% = C (P)

60% - 69% = D

It will benefit students to turn in all assignments no matter how late because grades are based on total points. In addition to attending class, students are expected to stay the entire class period.

Required Readings:

Schutt, R. K. (1999). Investigating the social world: The process and practice of research (2nd Ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

Pettigrew, T.F. (1999). How to think like a social scientist (2nd Ed.). NY: HarperCollins.

Schutt, R. K., & Archibald, M. (1999). Study guide and activities to accompany investigating the social world. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

Class Schedule and Reading Assignments

The above schedule and procedures in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances. For example, it is probable that the due dates for the group assignments will change. The Pettigrew book readings will be assigned "on-the-fly."

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